Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Decades-Old Killings, One Possibly Linked to Notorious Mobster Whitey Bulger By Liam Quinn

A Boston man has pleaded guilty to two decades-old killings, one of which is believed to be connected to infamous mobster Whitey Bulger.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release on Wednesday, Nov. 5, that 65-year-old Michael Lewis pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter in connection with homicides that occurred in 1984 and 1993.

Lewis was subsequently given two 15-year sentences to be served concurrently, according to the release.

In 1984, Lewis and another man were involved in the drug trade in South Boston and intended to stop another drug dealer from selling in the area, prosecutors said.

Lewis and the other man encountered another man, Brian Watson, and asked him to lead them to the drug dealer. Watson agreed and sat in the backseat, per the release, with prosecutors adding that when Watson got into the car, Lewis “suddenly turned, shot and killed Watson.”

The two men then dumped his body off I-93 in Manchester.

NBC 10 and WCVB reported that prosecutors had indicated they believe Watson’s death could have been tied to Bulger — the notorious head of the Winter Hill Gang in the Boston area, who was later revealed to have been an FBI informant.

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Bulger was murdered in federal prison, where he was serving a life sentence for a racketeering conviction. He was later portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2015 film Black Mass.

Lewis, whose attorney denied any connections to Bulger, per WCVB, also pleaded guilty to killing William Villani, 46, in 1993, prosecutors said.

Villani, who was Lewis’ boss at the Boston Housing Authority Pest Control Unit, was found beaten, stabbed and shot in his office. There was also a bag of pesticide placed on Villani’s body, per the release, which alleges Lewis became upset that he was forced to return to work after a “lengthy excused absence.”

“I’m grateful that family members of Brian Watson and William Villani finally have answers, after so many years with no answers, about what happened to their loved ones and who was responsible for what happened,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.